The Long-Awaited Deal

That's right. We've been waiting for this deal since November, and it's finally happened: the Twins signed Craig Monroe. In all seriousness, the terms of the deal haven't been announced yet, but this does mean the Twins will have to give up some minor-leaguer for Monroe. I really can't pass any judgment on the signing/trade until I know who the Twins gave up, how much they signed Monroe for, and what the rest of their plans for the offseason are. Is Monroe going to be the starting centerfielder? I certainly hope not. Is he going to take at bats away from Jason Kubel in the DH spot? Again, I hope not. Is he going to be a reserve outfielder? Now that's a good plan.

UPDATE 12/12 1:29 AM: Monroe signed for $3.82M, the minimum he could (a 20% pay cut). The Twins have plenty of money to spend next year, so I'm not too worried about it. Since the Twins work off a yearly budget, any money they save next year is not going to be used in subsequent seasons, so they need to find somewhere to spend this money. I'm still going to reserve judgment on the deal until I see what exactly Monroe's role on this team is going to be. If he's a 4th outfielder or absolute last-resort centerfielder, then I'm okay with that, but I don't want to see him taking at bats from Jason Kubel.